Southern Speculation 3-5-19: What happened to the wave?

When I think of the wave I think of my dad driving his truck, whether it was around town or down some back county road or highway. I remember at every vehicle that passed a subtle raising of a couple of fingers. In return the other driver would do the same.

Once, when my youngest sister was really young I remember her asking my dad, “Who was that?”

“I don’t know”, he said, as he waved to another passing vehicle.

“Well who was that”, she asked again

“I don’t know who that was either.”

“Well then why are you waving to them”, she asked.

He told her, “It’s just what you do. It’s being kind, being neighborly, being friendly. You wave just to say hey, even if you don’t know who they are.”

What happened to that wave?

I try my best to wave when I’m out driving around, just to say hey, even if I don’t know who people are. Even the best of us can’t remember all the time. It seems to be a lost art more than anything. I notice people that will look right through you as you wave to them and refuse to wave back. Our friendly, neighborly approach to life seems to be lost as we become caught up in the hustle and bustle and absorbed in our own issues to even think about anyone else. The term ‘Southern Hospitality’ does not hold the same weight that it used to. Being hospitable has been replaced by being able to stand being around another human being for more than five minutes. Maybe if we made more of an effort to do some of these smaller things on a day to day basis it might bring back some more of who we want to be.